The Headmaster's Wife had me hooked from page one, where we enter a bewildering yet impactful scene: Arthur Winthrop, the headmaster of a prestigious New England boarding school, is found wandering naked in New York City's Central Park. From there, Greene's fourth novel jumps back and forth in time, place, and perspective in such a way that is hard to follow at moments, but that kept me compulsively turning pages, attempting (and failing) to guess what would happen next.

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What begins as middle-aged, married Arthur's infatuation with a female student—a compelling enough premise in itself—transforms into something altogether different, bigger, and more complicated. The novel's start makes it clear that Arthur is mentally ill or "off" in some respect, and it becomes increasingly clear how deeply rooted his condition is. As we learn more about Arthur's wife, Elizabeth, and the couple's courtship, the plot thickens to reveal additional layers of pain, betrayal, and loss.

Featuring an ex-lover, a son, a father, and, most importantly, the different versions of both Arthur and Elizabeth as they grow, age and merge their lives, The Headmaster's Wife explores how we create various versions of ourselves based on situations, needs, and instincts. Sometimes, shedding a figurative skin and inhabiting a new one is the only way to move forward in a world where so much is outside of our control. While that's something I hope most readers relate to in theory more than experience, this wise, tender, and gracefully executed literary thriller will no doubt bewitch you too.